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The invention relates generally to a hunting aid. More particularly, the invention is an auxiliary sole for attachment to the footwear of a hunter including means for dispensing an animal scent.
Hunters have long used ingenious methods to conceal or disguise themselves from the prey that they are hunting. Such methods have included camouflage clothing, grease paint, hunting blinds, artificial animal tracks, and animals scents. Camouflage clothing and grease paint permit the hunter to blend into the surrounding environment, and thereby avoid being seen by the prey. Similarly, hunting blinds conceal the hunter from the sight of the prey. Artificial animal tracks and animal scents are intended to confuse the prey, or to deceive the prey into believing that an animal of the opposite sex is in the area. The hunter often makes artificial animal tracks, and at the same time avoids leaving footprints or shoeprints, by wearing footwear, or auxiliary soles secured to the footwear, having a plurality of projections that form the tracks of an animal. Animal scents are often sprayed or rubbed onto the hunter""s body, clothing and hunting gear to mask the human scent of the hunter.
In many cases, the hunter resorts to two or more of the above methods to increase the likelihood of a successful hunting experience. For example, it is known to spray or rub the projections of the footwear or auxiliary soles with a liquid animal scent to simultaneously produce artificial animal tracks and mask the scent of the hunter. Unfortunately, the liquid animal scent is readily absorbed into the material of the footwear or auxiliary soles. As a result, the effect of the animal scent is diminished, or the animal scent wears off before the hunter has had an opportunity to take advantage of its enticing effect on the prey. Thus, it is apparent a need exists for a hunting aid that disguises the tracks and masks the scent of a hunter, and thereby confuses or deceives the hunter""s prey. It is still further apparent a need exists for an auxiliary sole for attachment to the footwear of a hunter that includes means for dispensing an effective and long lasting animal scent.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the invention to provide a hunting aid that disguises the tracks and masks the scent of a hunter, and thereby confuses or deceives the hunter""s prey. It is a further object of the invention to provide an auxiliary sole for attachment to the footwear of a hunter that includes means for dispensing an effective and long lasting animal scent. The above and other objects are achieved by a hunting aid according to the present invention including an auxiliary sole for attachment to the footwear of the hunter. In the broadest sense, the auxiliary sole includes a ball portion, a heel portion attached to the ball portion and a scent dispensing means.
The ball portion and the heel portion each include a generally planar base having a plurality of projections depending generally perpendicularly from the base. The auxiliary sole further includes means for releasably attaching the heel portion to the ball portion. Preferably, the attachment means includes a plurality of hook fasteners provided on the ball portion and a plurality of corresponding loop fasteners provided on the heel portion. The plurality of loop fasteners cooperate with the plurality of hook fasteners to releasably attach the heel portion of the auxiliary sole to the ball portion of the auxiliary sole. Preferably, the base of the ball portion further has an elongate opening formed therethrough and the base of the heel portion has a pair of opposed end tabs. The pair of opposed end tabs of the base of the heel portion are received within the opening of the base of the ball portion. The base of the ball portion preferably further includes at least one securing strap and an integrally formed toe strap for securing the auxiliary sole to the footwear of the hunter. The at least one securing strap has opposed ends that are affixed to the base of the ball portion so that the securing strap forms an opening for receiving the toe of the hunter""s footwear.
Preferably, the base of the ball portion and the base of the heel portion are made of a flexible material, for example natural rubber or a plastic material, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyurethane, silicone or combinations thereof The plurality of projections depending from the base of the ball portion and the plurality of projections depending from the base of the heel portion are formed in the shape of the artificial tracks of an animal. For example, the plurality of projections of the ball portion and the heel portion may be formed in the shape of the hoof prints of a deer. At least one recess is formed in at least one of the plurality of projections of the ball portion, the plurality of projections of the heel portion, or both. The scent dispensing means is positioned within the at least one recess formed in the plurality of projections of the ball portion, the plurality of projections of the heel portion, or both. The scent dispensing means includes an absorbent material, such as cotton, wool, paper, cellulose, synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof, that is impregnated with the scent of an animal. For example, the absorbent material may be impregnated with the scent of a deer.